N-HYPPADEC: Government Should Criminalise Night Travel by Boat

Laleye Dipo in Minna

The National Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), has lamented the huge number of people who lost their lives while traveling on the nation’s waterways and therefore strongly suggested that governments across the country should ban river traveling in the night.

N-HYPPADEC also suggested a legislation making the use of life jackets by travelers compulsory.

The Managing Director of the Commission, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, made the suggestions after a visit to Gbajibo in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger state where not less than 42 passengers died when the boat in which they were traveling capsised last week.

Yelwa noted that it was the second of such incidents on the same River Niger and in the same community within one year saying last year 31 lives were lost in a similar accident.

He explained: “The commission is working assiduously in collaboration with regulatory agencies like the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and State governments to curtail the menace of boat mishaps  because “N-HYPPADEC only gives interventions.”

Yelwa expressed the commitment of the commission to provide solutions to such incident by also partnering with benefiting state governments to enact other laws with stringent measures to restore safety on the waterways.

 He blamed the Gbajibo  accident on  “overloading and water waves resulting in the boat breaking into two” but insisted that “refusal to wear life jackets already provided” was responsible for the high casualty figure.

Niger State Commissioner for Transportation Hajia Ladidi Kuta, who was also at Gbajibo, promised that the   state government would  provide rescue boats, water ambulances, and communication gadgets at river banks as well as  establish Water Marshalls to help in forestalling future reoccurrence.

 Kuta advised riverine communities to always obey laid down laws and regulations to ensure their safety and those of their properties.

The ill fated boat took off with over 300 passengers from Mundi in Kwara state and was headed for New Gbajibo in Niger state before the accident.

150  passengers were said to have been rescued from the river .